STONY POINT WOMAN ACCUSED OF FALSIFYING TIME SHEETS IN $32,000 “DOUBLE-DIPPING” SWINDLE OF NEW YORK STATE

Rockland County District Attorney Thomas P. Zugibe today announced that Sara Bogart (DOB 01/05/52) of 132 Washburns Lane, Stony Point, New York has been charged with stealing more than $32,000 in state money by falsifying timesheets for providing mental health care while she was employed by a private company.

Bogart is charged with:

• One count of Grand Larceny in the Third Degree, a class “D” Felony

A joint investigation by the Rockland County District Attorney Special Investigations Unit and State of New York Office of the State Inspector General revealed that Bogart, a former employee of the Hudson Valley Developmental Disabilities Services Office (DDSO) of the New York State Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities (OMRDD) worked as a caregiver for a privately-owned care center while falsely reporting on timesheets that she was performing her state-assigned duties. As a result, Bogart received in excess of $32,000 in unearned compensation from the state.

An anonymous complaint alleged that Bogart was doing on-site caregiving work for Another Step, Inc., a private facility, while she was supposed to be performing duties related to her state employment. An audit indicated that she falsified timesheets, reporting that she was working for the state when she was in fact working for Another Step conducting one-on-one care of clients. The overlapping shifts totaled 1,344 hours.

The Hudson Valley DDSO provides services to individuals with developmental disabilities and their families in several counties including Rockland. The DDSO manages 130 state operated community homes, 52 family care providers, and funds or regulates services of approximately 180 agencies that provide care to people living independently in the community. The DDSO’s main office is located at 7 Wilbur Road, Thiells, New York.

Bogart was hired as a Direct Care Worker in 1972. In 1996 she was elected president of her local chapter of the Civil Service Employee’s Association. After her election and until her retirement in 2007, nearly all of her full-time hours were devoted to running the employee’s association office that was located on the DDSO campus.

The defendant was arrested this morning and arraigned in the Village of Haverstraw Justice Court before the Honorable Judge Gruffi. Bogart was released after posting $5,000 cash bond. She is due to return to Town of Haverstraw Court on January 25th, 2010. If convicted, Bogart faces 2 1/3 to 7 years in state prison.